IAEEL newsletter 3-4/97
Product information on-line
Product information on-line
It´s always discouraging to reach for one¹s lighting product catalog in search of up-to-the-minute information and find that it is out of date. The Internet is beginning to offer a solution.
Probably the first and most extensive lighting product directory on the Web, the inter.Light site continues to be an excellent cross-cutting resource allowing product searches that generate lists showing specific products available in the US market, by manufacturer. It includes lamps, power supplies, fixtures, and other associated components. InterLight also has information on lighting service providers, new product announcements, industry news, etc. The Lighting Research Center is another product resource, but it is currently far from comprehensive.
The Lighting Research Center´s site offers brief abstracts of its Specifier Reports, which tabulate LRC¹s performance measurements for a range of products.
Individual manufacturer catalogs are also becoming available. Unfortunately, most lighting manufacturer product listings are extremely insufficient today. Even the most basic product information cannot be found in some cases, and detailed specifications are quite rare. And, while the web is an excellent medium for keeping information current, one cannot always trust that websites containing product listing have been kept up to date.
More and more small manufacturers are coming on line. A good way to keep up with the most recent status is to visit Lighting Crossroads at the IAEEL web site.
Evan Mills